Summary:
Zip code 32565 in Jay, Florida, is served by two elementary schools, Jay Elementary School and Chumuckla Elementary School, both part of the Santa Rosa School District and serving grades PK-6.
Jay Elementary School stands out as the higher-performing school in the area. In the most recent testing year, it outperformed Chumuckla Elementary School in 8 out of 9 subject and grade-level test categories, achieving an overall proficiency rate of 70.4% compared to Chumuckla's 61.3%. Jay Elementary also holds a significantly higher state ranking, placing 660th out of 2,240 schools (71st percentile, 4 stars), while Chumuckla ranks 1,116th (50th percentile, 3 stars). Notably, Jay Elementary achieves these results despite having a higher percentage of students on free or reduced lunch (62.29%) compared to Chumuckla (50.4%), suggesting effective programs and strong school leadership. In contrast, Chumuckla Elementary School has experienced a sharp decline in its state ranking over the past three years, dropping from the 79th percentile to the 50th percentile, with a particularly concerning 37% proficiency rate in 5th Grade Math—28 points below the district average.
Both schools share some positive traits, including chronic absenteeism rates well below the state average of 31.4% (Jay at 21.1% and Chumuckla at 17.6%) and strong performance in 5th Grade Science, where both scored above the district and state averages. However, a common challenge emerges in 6th Grade English Language Arts, where both schools scored below the district average of 68% (Jay at 57% and Chumuckla at 56%), indicating a potential transition issue. With nearly identical per-student spending and student-teacher ratios, the performance gap between the two schools likely stems from differences in instructional quality or school culture rather than resources.
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